Adventism is the biblical Antichrist! (according to Sunday-worshipers)

I think the conclusion given in this title seems quite obvious, although we actually aren't thinking this way. It is obvious, that because true Seventh-day Adventism will become the No. 1 enemy of the whole world, we will be labeled everything that is worst, whether or not such terms will come from the Bible:

"Under the rule of Rome, those who suffered death for their fidelity to the gospel were denounced as evildoers; they were declared to be in league with Satan; and every possible means was employed to cover them with reproach, to cause them to appear in the eyes of the people and even to themselves as the vilest of criminals. So it will be now. While Satan seeks to destroy those who honor God’s law, he will cause them to be accused as lawbreakers, as men who are dishonoring God and bringing judgments upon the world." (GC 591.1)

It's good to note, that every Christian denomination tries to deal with the subject of Antichrist, Son of Perdition, Man of Sin and other terms describing the greatest worldly enemy of God. Whether it's Roman Catholicism with its idea of a gradual development of God's Kingdom, or a large number of Evangelical Protestant groups having much more apocalyptic, millennialist ideas on the End-times, all are trying to figure out, who this Antichrist is going to be. That doesn't mean there won't be (or haven't been) any other Antichrists, but they are trying to identify the true, final Antichrist. And most probably it's the coming false Christ, who will have the final word about him. And we know, who is he going to pick.

I think it would be good to point out briefly, on what account will this take place and what sort of arguments (those most important) will be brought against Adventists, especially during the Latter Rain and the Loud Cry. As of now, I have found several such areas of our faith, which I will list below.

Righteousness by faith – actually it's the righteousness of Christ Himself and His righteousness in us as His disciples in His Spirit. As Adventists we believe, that He will make us a new heart and make us perfect (sinless) in character before God our Father. This is the purpose of the Latter Rain. But because of a very different theology, the Catholic and Protestant groups will focus on our actual sinlessness of character, and will shout that people can by no means achieve sinlessness. Actually they will view our sinlessness as ultra-Perfectionism and an attempt to deny our need of Christ, which is the same as denying Christ Himself.

Non-Trinitarianism – actually a belief in Christ's real Sonship, that He is God's literal Son, the maker of His will, and also our God as a Mediator between God and man. Of course we also believe that Christ is a different personage than Father. Yet our Catholic and Protestant friends will bring out this old argument of denying the true Godhood of Jesus Christ, even though Adventists will argue Christ truly is God, in nature and in authority (only having the Father above Himself). Our enemies will state that there can only be one such God (who must be a Trinity), viewing our faith as either Unitarianism or Bitheism (belief in two different Gods).

Seventh-day Sabbath-keeping – a very important part of God's remnant's belief, especially in the context of Sunday laws. We believe the Sabbath to be the sign between God and His people, and also God's seal in End-times (Rev. 7:3). Of course Sunday-keeping denominations see the Saturday Sabbath as part of the Old Law, which was changed or abolished by Christ Himself on the cross and by His resurrection on the first-day. Therefore they will view Seventh-day Sabbath-keeping as coming back to this Judaist Legalism and denying Christ's resurrection. But there's more to that.

Some of us are probably familiar with pope Gregory I's remarks on the seventh-day and those, who are keeping this day holy:

"It has come to my ears that certain men of perverse spirit have sown among you some things that are wrong and opposed to the holy faith, so as to forbid any work being done on the Sabbath day. What else can I call these but preachers of Antichrist, who, when he comes, will cause the Sabbath day as well as the Lord's day to be kept free from all work." Pope Gregory I, Epistles b. 13:1

So pope Gregory I thought the Antichrist will keep the Sabbath, but please note: he says the Antichrist will also keep the Lord's day, that is the Sunday. Seventh-day Adventists actually aren't preaching Sunday's sacredness, along with Saturday's. Even more, some of us believe Sunday must be filled with work as like any other non-sacred day, even in the face of persecutions, arguing that six days were made for work, as part of the Fourth Commandment:

"Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work" (Ex. 20:9)

They also argue that refraining from work on Sunday, especially during Sunday laws, is receiving the mark of the beast, even if one keeps also the seventh-day Sabbath. But let's read some of Ellen White's statement regarding work on Sunday, taken from the Last Day Events compilation:

"Refraining from work on Sunday is not receiving the mark of the beast.... In places where the opposition is so strong as to arouse persecution, if work is done on Sunday, let our brethren make that day an occasion to do genuine missionary work."—The Southern Work, 70 (1895). {LDE 139.1}

"We should not feel it enjoined upon us to irritate our neighbors who idolize Sunday by making determined efforts to bring labor on that day before them purposely to exhibit an independence. Our sisters need not select Sunday as the day to exhibit their washing."—Selected Messages 3:399 (1889). {LDE 139.3}

"The light given me by the Lord at a time when we were expecting just such a crisis as you seem to be approaching, was that when people were moved by a power from beneath to enforce Sunday observance, Seventh-day Adventists were to show their wisdom by refraining from their ordinary work on that day, devoting it to missionary effort."—Testimonies for the Church 9:232, 233 (1909).{LDE 139.5}

"Take the students out to hold meetings in different places, and to do medical missionary work. They will find the people at home and will have a splendid opportunity to present the truth. This way of spending Sunday is always acceptable to the Lord."—Testimonies for the Church 9:238 (1909). {LDE 140.3}

These texts show us few important things. One, during the Sunday crisis God's people are encouraged not to do work on Sunday, but to devote this time for other activities. Two, refraining from work on Sunday does not constitute receiving the mark of the beast, neither on the forehead, nor on the right hand. And third, this is not just Ellen White's own opinion, but we are shown, that this is the council of the Lord Christ Himself.

So as we can see, because of refraining from work not only on Saturdays, but also on Sundays, Adventists will be labeled Antichrist. Probably it will be reasoned, that refraining from work on Sundays is a some kind of compromise counted on bringing the Sunday-keepers to the seventh-day Sabbath, especially since the first-day is meant for missionary work.

The above statements from Ellen White also tell us something about the nature of a Sunday decree. I mean, such Sunday laws will not only forbid to work on Sundays, but will also order to work on Saturdays. Only this way the persecutions will start to take place. It will be a very harsh, absolute law to work from Monday to Saturday and rest on Sunday. No other such law, whether it's a simple official recognition of Sunday sacredness or even an obligatory Sunday rest without any reference to work on the seventh-day, will constitute a true mark of the beast.

And finally, a cherry on the top. Seventh-day Adventists will be labeled Antichrist simply because of objecting to submit to Satan, who will appear as false Christ! Since nominal Christians will believe Satan's lie, that he is the true Christ, who came back to Earth to establish his Kingdom, objecting to submit to him and to his lies about the seventh-day and first-day will be seen by them as outright rebelion against him. Hence the title Antichrist. And probably we will be seen as this true Antichrist, predicted in the Bible in 2 Thes. 2 and in 1 John. This also shows, that this false Christ will probably not stay on Earth, leaving people to decide what to do about the just received revelation. Maybe they will await His true coming, when "the Lord shall consume [the Wicked] with the spirit of his mouth" (2 Tes. 2:8), but will eventually find themselves on the wrong side of Heaven, when they shall see the plagues falling on them, and not on the "wicked" God's true people? But how really will Satan bring his deceptions, it remains to be seen and experienced.

I hope I have provided some good information, maybe even possible future events, that may take place. We need to prepare ourselves for such deceptions and for the coming of our true Lord, Jesus Christ.